Drunk woman slumped at wheel of car near school

A woman who had driven from Bradford after drinking vodka was found slumped over the wheel of her car near a Langho school in the afternoon.

Blackburn magistrates heard Nicola Bassett was barely able to speak and there were two empty and one part empty bottles of vodka in her car.

She told police she had been trying to make her way back home to St Helens.

Bassett (35), of Lyme Street, St Helens, pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis. She was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months, banned from driving for three years and ordered to pay £85 costs, £80 victim surcharge and £150 criminal court charge.

Catherine Allan (prosecuting) said a member of the public had seen Bassett in her car on Whalley Road, Langho. She was clearly drunk and he called police before blocking her in with his own car.

“Police described her as slumped drunk at the wheel of her car with a bottle of vodka at her side. What is very concerning is that she had driven from Bradford and was actually parked 100m from a school.”

Bassett told police she had gone to Bradford for a meeting but could not face it and went to the pub were she drank a double vodka. “She had more drink before going to a shop and buying some small bottles of vodka,” said Miss Allan. “She told police she was trying to find her way back to St Helens but didn’t know where she was. By her own admission she had started drinking before she left Bradford and continued on the way.”

Aftab Bakhat (defending) said: “She had had a minor crash in her car, she was worrying about losing her job and was already suffering from depression which she had been masking with alcohol. On this day she started drinking very early.”